Firefighting is a dangerous job. Obviously, they are the ones running into the fire, but there are also some less-immediate issues firefighters face, including a high risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and PTSD.
The non-profit MnFIRE was created to help. It is funded in part by the 2021 Hometown Heroes Act and also donations.
The majority of firefighters in Minnesota are volunteers. Only 1 in 10 are career firefighters. So the reality is many are making sacrifices to protect our lives and property. โThey have a day job,โ Rebecca Otto, the Executive Director of MnFIRE explains.
โThey have families and everything else, but firefighters also face trauma in the work that they do, and everyone responds differently.โ Otto says that fatal accidents, especially ones involving children, is what she hears are the hardest for firefighters.
